ITP Glossary: Crack Screen

Football is littered with specialized terminology. From spot concept to down block, commentators rarely get to explain everything you need to know before the next play. Inside The Pylon’s glossary was developed to give fans a deeper understanding of the game through clear explanations, as well as image and video examples. Please contact us with any terms or phrases you’d like to know more about.

Crack Screen

A crack screen is an offensive passing concept often employed as part of a packaged play where a screen play is set up using a running back executing a swing route into the flat. If there is one receiver, he will attempt to deliver a crackback block to the defender, giving his ball carrier the chance to turn the corner, and upfield. If two wide receivers are aligned to the screen side, one may run a go route to open space for the back to operate in once the ball is secured.

Oregon sets up the crack screen to the right and a tunnel screen to the left. In a crack screen, the running back runs a swing route toward the sideline while the slot receiver delivers a crackback block on either the linebacker or defensive back to the inside:

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